What Do I Have To Do?
by Kuro Angales
Summary: Sasuke went off on a mission and doesn't return for a month. The two boys are very confused about their feelings. SasuxNaru! AU and the boys are 17. Chapter 7 up. 8 in progress.
1. Confusing Departure

Author's Note: My first Naruto fic. Its SasuNaru ^_^ Best pairing ever. I've only been a fan of the series for a few weeks, so my info is little ^^; Forgive me for playing around with everything. This is an alternate timeline. They are all 17 now unless said otherwise. Italic are thoughts or flashbacks. Um… that's about it…

What Do I Have To Do?

Sakura entered her room and plopped herself down in her chair in front of her desk. She was exhausted from a long day of training. Naruto's yells of frustration could be heard still resounding in the distance. Taking out a pen, she retrieved her diary from her drawer and started to write about her day.

'Today I trained more with Naruto. His depression is totally showing now. I tried to comfort him, but he won't have any of it. He's so stubborn. I didn't think he would act this way if Sasuke was missing. It's been five years since we all met, and yet, their rivalry hasn't died down.

I didn't think there would ever be a time where I wasn't chasing after Sasuke. Don't get me wrong, he's still the coolest guy ever but… I don't think I understand him too well after all. I just wish he would come back… before Naruto does something drastic. It has been over a month…since he left for that mission.

The weirdest thing was how Naruto didn't see him off. I expected Naruto to come out shouting about how Sasuke couldn't handle anything without him or something. But, Naruto didn't even show himself until Sasuke was gone over the horizon. I don't think he knows, but I saw him jump down from that tree near the village gates. He ran off to his training area and didn't come back for two days.' 

"Sakura! Dinner's ready!" her mother called. Sakura put her things away and ran towards the kitchen.

+++

Naruto slammed his fish through the tree he had been staring at for a few minutes. All the trees in the area, as well as the ground were all ripped up. He pulled his hand out of the tree and slumped to the ground.

_'Sasuke hasn't come back. He had promised to be back for my seventeenth birthday. That was two weeks ago. What the hell happened to that asshole!'_

Naruto punched the ground in frustration. Why did this affect him so much? Why had Sasuke suddenly become so important to his life? He had hated the asshole from the beginning… hadn't he?

_'Of course I still hate that asshole! What the hell is wrong with me!'_

Blue eyes turned upward at the darkening sky as he allowed himself to fall back. The stars were just starting to come out. There was a light breeze that ran through his hair and what was left of the grass. A few crickets chirped and provided an eerie music. It was just like that night…

+++

_Sasuke walked out towards the gate of the Hidden Leaf village. His new mission, although only rank C, seemed to give little detail of what he was to do. It gave him a terrible and dark feeling. Hearing rustling leaves, he turned his head slightly towards a tree. 'Enjoy spying on me, Dobe?"_

Naruto jumped down from his hiding place, his normal Cheshire grin in place. "I'm just making sure you aren't leaving without saying goodbye to us." He leaned against the gate and sighed. "You sure you don't want to take me with you? I could probably get the mission done faster than you."

Sasuke didn't even turn his head. "I don't need a loud baka messing up my plans." He could hear Naruto fuming and could only smirk as the blond let out an annoyed growl. "Besides, It was assigned to me, not you."

"Well, you better be back by my seventeenth birthday! October 10th" Naruto crossed his arms and glared at Sasuke.

"What's so important about that? Besides, I don't have anything to give you…" The last part was barely a whisper as he said, "…that you would want." Sasuke shifted away from Naruto more as the young ninja blinked in shock.

"What are you talking about Sasuke? Every once in a while you acknowledge me. That's enough for me," he said and grinned widely at the dark eyed boy.

Sasuke turned around and smirked. "Is that really all you want?"

Naruto was confused again but just ignored the warm look Sasuke was giving him. "That and ramen!" This caused Sasuke to laugh a little. Naruto was shocked for the second time.

"Speaking of birthdays, you didn't even get me anything." Sasuke's eyes lost the warm look they had acquired as he spoke.

"Um… anou… you never told me what you wanted?" His voice cracked under the stare he was getting from Sasuke. Naruto felt even more uneasy as Sasuke started to shorten the distance between them. "So… what is this mission you are going on anyways? You never told us," he said as he took a few steps back.

Sasuke stopped his advance and dropped his eyes to the ground for a bit as he tried to form words, much to the relief of Naruto. "Its just some surveillance around a few small villages with rumors of violent activity." Naruto opened his mouth so say something and Sasuke reached a hand forward to cover it. "I have a bad feeling about it, and this is hard for me to say. So shut up for a minute." He took a deep breath and kept his hand over the other's mouth. "They picked me for it because they said all my skills would work well. I just have a fear that more is going on there than we think." 

As Sasuke's hand lowered, Naruto blinked at him. He'd never seen Sasuke so worried before and admitting it. Grabbing a hold of the blue shirt, Naruto glared into his dark eyes. "If you are so worried, then why can't I come with you!"

"Because you are too much of a distraction!" Sasuke yelled back in his face. The two stayed glaring at each other, their breaths mingling in the warm air. The dark eyes became more intense as Sasuke suddenly kissed Naruto, hard. Naruto was too confused to react and Sasuke pulled away and jumped up into the trees, fleeing the scene. 

End notes: Ok… how was it? There's gonna be more, I just need to know if its good enough to keep going. I know people are OOC… I'm trying really hard! So…. HELP!!!! ^^; 


	2. Broken Return

Author's Notes: THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (You know who you are)!!! For those of you who read and didn't review, thank you too ^^;; I got a lot of help from you guys and I shall continue the story. I had Sakura being really mature in this. It just works for the story ok? So on with the thoughts, dream sequences, and SasuNaru fun!

What Do I Have To Do?: Chapter 2

_The air was thick with mist as he woke to the sound of Sasuke's voice. "You always…just get in the way." His eyes widened in horror as he saw Sasuke standing over him, bleeding his precious lifeblood onto the ground._

"Why… did you save me?" He found himself asking again.

"How should I know… I… hated you…"

"Why? Why me?!" He yelled as he stood up. "I never asked for your help!"

"I don't know… may body just moved on its own…baka…"

He had Sasuke in his arms again. His arms could feel his heat fading, his heart struggling. Sasuke was talking about his brother again. Why did he have to see this again? 

"You… don't die…"

Sasuke's hand fell limp and he passed out. Haku's words echoed in his ears but he tuned them out. 'He died for me. Sasuke died… for me…' Holding him close for a moment, he said "I hated you too."

Naruto jumped up with a start from the ground. _'The dream again…Why do I have to keep seeing that… Sasuke…'_ His blue eyes eventually came back into focus as he heard some birds chirping loudly. "Itai." He reached for his neck as it throbbed in pain when it moved. _'Did I sleep outside again?'_ Blue eyes opened to see that the sun had already risen and his stomach emitted a low growl. "Breakfast time!" he shouted to the sky and jumped up, only to regret it and fall back down. "Maybe I shouldn't have trained that much…"

"Maybe you should be glad someone cares what happens to you baka," Sakura said and as she walked into the clearing with some hot cup ramen. "This is the fourth time this week I've found you out here," she said and whacked Naruto on the head.

"Itai! What the hell was that for!" Naruto screamed at her and then his stomach growled to interrupt his oncoming tirade.

Sakura just sighed and said, "There is no reason for you to be acting this way. Now eat your lunch and let's talk about it before Iruka-sensei goes crazy with worry." She sat down on a half splintered log and waited for Naruto to join her. Taking out some chopsticks she started on her rice.

Naruto started to devour his ramen and said between his slurps, "Why is Iruka-sensei worried about me?" Sakura punched him in the arm and caused some of the ramen to spill out. "Sakuraaa," he whined and then changed his tone, "Why did you do that!"

"Baka! We are all worried about you." She put down her lunch and looked into Naruto's blue eyes that were filled with hidden confusion and sorrow. "What happened between you two?"

The sealed fox became defensive and pulled back a little. "None of your business!" He barked out.

"So something did happen then?" Sakura said in a sly tone.

Naruto slumped when he realized he'd been tricked. A soft breeze blew through the area and some birds flapped their wings as the blond thought about his words. "He said I was a distraction." Naruto decided to leave out the kiss because he wasn't sure about his feelings towards it or if he should tell. 

"You are lucky then." Sakura said sadly and turned here eyes to the ground. Blue eyes looked at her questioningly as she let out a shaky breath. "He notices you."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Thunder was rumbling as more birds took flight to avoid the coming storm. A few drop of rain hit Naruto's nose and Sakura stood up to leave. "Sakura… Did Sasuke ever-"

She cut him off, "No." Sakura's face was hidden by her hair, so Naruto couldn't see her tears. "He's never asked anyone. Never paid attention to anyone." The orange clad ninja rose slowly as he took in the words. Sakura started walking again as the rain started to come down harder.

There was a loud crack of thunder as the two shinobi got closer to the main gate. The wind had picked up and was making it very hard to see. Lightning illuminated the sky and they could see a fallen body in front of the gate. Rushing towards it, Naruto stopped in horror. Sakura emitted a loud scream and passed out. The blonde ninja barely caught her before she fell. Her scream had alerted the other ninjas and Naruto barely noticed as they took Sakura from his arms.

His worst nightmare had come true for the second time. The bloodied and torn body of Sasuke was being lifted by the others. Naruto's sight went blurry as Sasuke's head shifted and seemed to turn towards him. There was a stream of blood running from his left eye as well as a large gash on the side of his face. The large pieces of blue cloth that were hanging from his body were stained a dark brown from the mud and blood loss. Someone lifted him up from the ground and he passed out while he was being carried, never taking his eyes off Sasuke.

End notes: Was this good? Bad? Wanna light me on fire? There's hopefully going to be some Sasuke and Naruto interaction. Sorry for the shortness ^^; 


	3. Analyzation

Author's Notes: THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING (again)!!! Gomen nasai about this delay ^^; Writer's block is a bitch and my muses tend to be evil as it is ^^;;;

What Do I Have To Do?: Chapter 3

Naruto opened his sky blue eyes warily to a dark and foreign room. As his vision cleared he realized it he was in the village hospital and slowly looked around. Light breathing to his right drew his attention and his breath hitched when his eyes fell on Sasuke's sleeping form. Trying to turn his eyes away, he soon found himself standing next to the bed. 

The last Uchiha looked so weak and even more pale than usual in the moonlight. It seemed to give his skin an iridescent glow. Most of the covers were off the bed and twisted up around his bandaged legs. This left most of the ninja's chest and arms exposed. Naruto could see where some of the scars on his chest were because the blood was still coming through the bandages. Reaching a trembling hand forward. He brushed some of the dark hair off Sasuke's face and looked at the bloody wrappings. His hand lingered lightly over the healing gash in Sasuke's face before moving to the wrappings.

Dark eyes snapped open as fingertips brushed his skin. The injured shinobi's eyes fell upon Naruto as he forced himself to remain still. Sasuke watched as Naruto seemed to be analyzing his wounds through the bandages, enjoying the fleeting touches as the other ninja's hands adjusted some of the loosening pieces of cloth. 

It was quite a few minutes before Naruto looked up into the dark eyes watching him. Sasuke smiled warmly at him, "Naruto…" 

The blonde ninja realized his hand was on Sasuke's and blushed while quickly pulling it back. "Y-you were making strange noises and I couldn't sleep!" Naruto stuttered and half yelled as he took a step back from the bed. Sasuke's eyes went back to his normal blank stare as he watched Naruto jump back into bed and pull the covers up around him. "Next time I'll just throw something at you."

Naruto started to snore and Sasuke knew he was left to dwell on his life again. He never realized that it indeed had been five years since he had fallen for the loud boy. After the fight with Haku, everything about Naruto had annoyed him even worse than before… because he wanted to understand why his body shielded Naruto. His mind and his heart hadn't even reacted by the time he had already made his move that day.

Sasuke knew he should have died that day. The needles had hit close to vital areas and the amount of chakra he had used up was past his current limit at that time. That surge of chakra that Naruto emitted that day must have done something to his body, whether it was meant or not. Or else… he wouldn't have been able to get up after the fight was over. 

It had been instinct alone… and yet it felt like it was even more than that. He wasn't sure if he would have made it for someone else. But dwelling on that again was pointless, for he had indeed fallen for him. The loudest, most annoying, and surprising ninja in the village.

He had been a total fool not to take Naruto with him on this mission. Sasuke had found out that his 'bad feeling' was more than just that. Re-entering the Hidden Mist Village area, although not actually going into the village, dragged up the old memories… as well as the old enemies. 

Sasuke's mission had been to survey the non-ninja villages in the area. There had been talk of ninjas invading these small settlements and taking them over. After gathering enough evidence, he was to return to the village so that they could formulate a plan on how to rectify the situation. It concerned the Hidden Leaf Village because there had been a letter found near the gate on day. The letter stated in runny blue ink that certain ninjas in the village were going to be hunted by those who hid in the mist. 

There had been a few followers of Zabusa who hadn't heard the full truth about what happened to their leader. All they knew that ninjas from the village had a part in his downfall. They had taken over the villages to gain manpower and weapons for which to attack with. Sasuke had found all this out, as well as that they were using young boys from these small villages to help them in their attacks.

He had been extra careful to avoid all the traps and people in the area… until he was leaving. There was a puddle on his way back the village that he walked by. Sasuke saw it and should have ducked back into the trees, but he walked right past it. What he hadn't realized that it hadn't rained in days. His carelessness had cost him dearly. That trick had been used on them when they were just starting out, and yet he fell for it in his haste to return home. 

Sasuke's haste was because of Naruto. He had felt bad for missing the boy's birthday by weeks. Naruto had been a distraction even when he wasn't there in person. The ambush came shortly after that and the warriors had been amazingly strong and crafty. Sasuke had won but the injuries caused his journey to wear him down. The rain had started to fall just as he collapsed at the gate. 

Naruto made a loud 'thump' as he hit the floor. Sasuke just smirked as he watched his friend continue to sleep after he had fallen off the bed. In a way he was grateful for the distraction and decided to try and sleep again himself.

+++

Naruto awoke to the smell of breakfast and a stiff neck. Jumping up, he fell back onto the hard ground again. "Itai!! I need to stop doing that!" Turning his neck slowly he found Sasuke was gone from his bed and all the bowls from his tray were empty.

_'That's just like Sasuke to get up early even when he's injured. Someday someone should… wait… WHY THE HELL DO I CARE?!?!!?_

"Naruto, I'm glad to see you're _finally_ awake after two days of rest," Kakashi said as he leaned against the doorframe of the room.

"T-TWO DAYS!?" Naruto practically screamed and wolfed down the rest of his food.

"Yes, two days. But over-training will do that." The Jounin pulled up a chair next to Naruto's bed and sat down. "Now that you are awake, tell me why you have been doing this to yourself." Kakashi's voice was deeply serious and it caused Naruto to hold his breath.

"Because I felt I had been slacking off too much lately and…," Naruto opened his blue eyes again to see Kakashi glaring at him. Kakashi sighed and took out Come Come Paradise from his pocket. "Sensei?!"

"I figured it might take you a while, so…" Naruto knew Kakashi was just playing with him, taunting him for being unable to understand his feelings. "Sasuke," Kakashi said simply, but Naruto's eyes lit up at that name. "So, you want to tell me what happened before he left. Seeing as you're so fixated."

"Chikusho… he.. he.." Naruto couldn't bring himself to say it. Not to his teacher, he probably couldn't even say it to Sakura if he tried.

"He revealed more feelings for you than you though?" Kakashi said in a quiet way. A Jounin was supposed to be this perceptive, and yet it bothered Naruto that he could be read this easily. "You might want to stop running and talk to your team mate," he said and rose from the chair, slipping the book back into his pocket. "We might get another mission soon." By the time Naruto had acknowledged these words, Kakashi was long gone. 

Getting up, he straightened himself out and walk over to his battered training area. Sasuke was there, surveying the destruction and he hadn't noticed Naruto's arrival. Trying to be as silent as possible, Naruto tried to creep away, only to break a twig.

"Mind telling me what all this is about, dobe?" 

End Notes: Sorry it took so long ^^; But it's long isn't it? Does this make up for the wait somewhat? Thanks for being patient and reading ^_^


	4. Minor Confrontation

**Author's Note: I'm back! Sort of… So its been a really long time and I just started writing again. I have a bit of a plan for this fic, although still no idea about an ending. I hope you all can enjoy.**

**What do I have to do?**

Naruto shifted his weight from on foot to the other as Sasuke's dark eyes bore into him. "I was um… training?" Naruto offered in a nervous and slightly high pitched tone. Sasuke adjusted the sling that held his right arm in place for it to heal.

"Baka," Sasuke said quietly as he moved to lean against one of the larger stumps. Naruto looked Sasuke over again in the light. The bandages on his chest had been changed as well as some newer ones on his legs. It was strange how such a seemingly fragile looking boy could give off such an aura of strength and power, even in bandages and badly broken. The fact Sasuke had said something to him again registered a few seconds later.

"Anou… can you repeat that?" He said in the same tone he had used before and scratched his head.

Sasuke just shook his head. "Have you really become that absentminded since I disappeared? I'm surprised you even had the brain to do this much training," Sasuke said in his usual cold tone. Naruto just averted his blue eyes from the shinobi to the ground and kicked at the dirt idly. He didn't even notice that Sasuke had moved to stand next to him. "Why… did you do this?"

The tone Sasuke had used was completely different from his usual monotone. It seemed to be laced with hidden meaning and very soft. This caught Naruto off guard and he jumped a little. "To be stronger than you, of course," Naruto replied in his genki tone with a foxy smile.

At first, Sasuke said nothing and shifted his weight onto his less injured leg. _This was more than just training… From what Kakashi said, Naruto was practically killing himself out here everyday…_ "If you think damaging yourself as a result will help the team, you should go back to the academy." He tried to force a more guarded tone with these words, and it seemed to be enough to hide his feelings from the other boy.

Naruto, easily miffed by these words, narrowed his eyes. "Well maybe if you had taken me along, you would be less banged up. If anyone needs to go back it's you!" The blonde ninja knew it was a very lame comeback, but this was the only way they seemed to communicate. Sometimes Naruto wondered what it would be like if they _really_ talked, but it seemed to be a fleeting wish. Deciding to give it a try, he sighed loudly. "What the hell happened out there anyway?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the attempt for somewhat normal conversation. "Why do you care?"

"I want to know what kept you from being here on my birthday," Naruto said casually and stuffed his hands into his pockets. It was a typical excuse, although he would have rather countered with so many of the more emotional questions cluttering his head.

Sasuke stayed silent for a few minutes. His dark eyes moved around the scarred area that Naruto had almost decimated in his absence. The Uchiha didn't want to admit his carelessness at missing the signs of a possible ambush. The other ninja wouldn't let him live it down for at least two weeks. Revealing the reason for his error didn't seem like a smart idea either. Whether Sasuke wanted to hear questions from Naruto about the kiss was another thing clouding his brain. "I didn't think you'd care if I died." The words were flat, but with suggestion.

Blue eyes snapped from watching a falling leaf to the figure of the bandaged ninja. "What the hell are you talking about? We're teammates! And I hate to admit it… but you're not so bad to have around sometimes." Naruto's words were sincere, although he held himself back from clutching his mouth with his hand. The last part slipped out, but some part of him felt it was ok.

"Heh…" Sasuke smirked at the admission, and some of his muscles relaxed. There was always so much tension between them. Noticing this for the thousandth time, the black-haired ninja sighed. "My suspicions were correct, and I was ambushed." _If this is a step towards a normal friendship… maybe its time I dealt with it._

"The great Sasuke was ambushed?" Naruto's tone wasn't as taunting as usual. The time apart had lessened the irritation in their rivalry for Naruto, but he couldn't help spitting out the habitual comments.

"I should have-" Sasuke was about to admit a few other things when a loud growling noise was heard in Naruto's direction. Black eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"I guess I should have eaten before coming out here. Oh well. Time for a nice early lunch!" The blonde ninja smiled at the idea of hot ramen and was glad for the interruption. He was still sleepy, despite all the rest, and dealing with Sasuke was exhausting. Naruto started to half-skip and head out of his training area, ignoring the fact the Sasuke seemed like he _almost_ wanted to say something else. It was always hard to tell.

As he passed by Sasuke, the other boy's gaze was straight forward, not looking at the blonde. He almost thought he heard an "I want to talk to you," from Sasuke and turned around quickly. Blue eyes couldn't even find a trace of the injured ninja. "Show off," Naruto murmered as he headed towards the ramen stand.


	5. Dreaming

**Author's Note: I'm back! Sort of… So its been a really long time and I just started writing again. I have a bit of a plan for this fic, although still no idea about an ending. I hope you all can enjoy.**

**What do I Have to do?**

_--The pounding sensation in his throat was getting almost painful as his chest tightened. Forcing his body to obey, Sasuke approached Naruto slowly. This was going to be it. The moment where he claimed something he had wanted, quite possibly before he died._

"_Um… anou… you never told me what you wanted?"_

_Sasuke didn't know whether to be amused or hurt by Naruto's reaction to his dropping mask. It was hard to slide away something he had built up for so long, but the Uchiha felt he had to do this._

"_So… what is this mission you are going on anyways? You never told us." _

_Naruto backing away caused some hesitation from the dark haired boy. Resolve wavering, black eyes dropped to the ground. "It's just some surveillance around a few small villages with rumors of violent activity." Hidden details started to flood his mind and he felt fear curl around his gut. Eyes moving from the ground, he darted close and used a slender white hand to cover his new obsession's mouth. "I have a bad feeling about it, and this is hard for me to say. So shut up for a minute." He took a deep breath and kept his hand in place. "They picked me for it because they said all my skills would work well. I just have a fear that more is going on there than we think." _

'_That should be enough to satisfy him…,' Sasuke thought as he tried to determine his next move. Feeling the other's lips brush against his palm sent a shiver down his spine and forced him to remove the hand. A slight choking feeling brought him out of his thoughts as a hand was grabbing the blue fabric of his shirt._

"_If you are so worried, then why can't I come with you?!"_

_Sasuke snapped as he stared into those determined blue eyes. "Because you are too much of a distraction!" Sasuke yelled back in Naruto's face, feeling the weariness of the situation draining him of his patience. Intense blue eyes filled his vision and the warmth of the other's breath on his face dissolved his guard. Kissing Naruto hard, Sasuke noticed the other ninja's hand tightened its grip on his shirt. 'Feels so good…'--_

--Eyes snapped open as a loud crash and bright flash from the storm awoke the dreaming boy. "Chikusho," Sasuke muttered and sat up to run a hand through his unbound hair. The storm had been raging all night and it was a surprise that anyone could fall asleep in it. _'I bet my dobe is either snoring or shaking in fear.'_ Smirking at his thought and the fact he now thought of Naruto as "his", the Uchiha made some symbols with his hands and blew a small jet of fire from his mouth to light a candle next to his bed. Another few minutes passed and Sasuke sighed. _'I hate this life.'_ With the grace of a cat, he arose from bed and dressed in a water proof outfit which had been made for him back before the last mission. Sasuke had repaired it himself with one of his hidden skills. The only thoughts in his mind was to see Naruto and potentially say something to him; topic yet to be decided.

Wind howling and rain pelting his back, the young man was glad for the hood on the outfit as he slipped in through the front door of Naruto's house. As he entered the bedroom, he noticed the window cracked and the shape of a body shivering under the white sheets. _'Baka'_ Stealthily Sasuke approached the bed and eased his weight onto the mattress. Much to his disappointment, the blonde had hidden his head beneath the covers. Deft movements of Sasuke's fingers removed the covers from Naruto's head.

"..Nnnn… Sakura… where are you…"

Naruto's mumbling made Sasuke flinch. He didn't expect to be greeted this way. Then again, the other was fast asleep. Flicking away some of the golden strands from Naruto's forehead, Sasuke smiled. "You're so childish it's annoying, Naruto," Sasuke said aloud with warmth, mask gone. "Yet sometimes… you have more sense than any adult we've ever faced."

Sasuke knew the lines he could be crossing now. It wasn't like him to do any of this, but everything had been pent up too long. The fear and anguish of being alone, abandoned, and then suddenly finding some feelings of love again confused the young man. "I'm nothing like Sakura." Averting his eyes from Naruto's sleeping form, he sighed and shook his head. "What do I have to do? I want you out of my head."

Suddenly Naruto moved over and curled around Sasuke's sitting body. It took a lot of willpower for the Uchiha not to jump at the movement. "Warm… Nnn…"

Sasuke laughed softly. "Unless you want to stay there." Pale fingers ran through Naruto's hair gently. Savoring the feel, he could hear a purring sound coming from the other boy. Black eyes wandered across the sleeping ninja's face as he turned back towards him. "Don't tempt me," Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear and resisted the urge to kiss.

An hour passed before the storm finally started to die down. A hint of morning brightened the dark clouds and Sasuke knew it was time to go if he wished to keep this a secret. Forcing himself up, the Uchiha felt pained as the other boy curled up in the warm patch of cloth left behind by his retreating form.

Naruto opened one bleary blue eye to see Sasuke's back disappear from sight in his bedroom doorway. "Sasuke?" His morning voice croaked and he tried to get up. Naruto's body only a rose an inch before setting back down into its comfortable spot, feeling the cold seep into the covers with minor movement.--


	6. Damaged

**What do I have to do?**

Naruto was staring into his second bowl of ramen, only half finished and starting to get cold. A week had past since that weird dream of Sasuke talking to him and then walking out. At least, he hoped it had been a dream. The only things the boy remembered were a few sentences and then seeing the retreating back of a man that looked like he had Sasuke's hair.

--"_You're so childish it's annoying, Naruto."_

_Naruto's mind stirred slightly, registering Sasuke's voice._

"_I want you out of my head."_

_Registering the coldness of the room, his body moved towards the warm voice until it contacted and curled around a body. Moving fingers caressed his hair and he started to purr. 'I want this…' Hot breath brushed against his ear as these thoughts swam through this head._

"_Don't tempt me."--_

--A scrap of paper tapped his hand, bringing Naruto out of his trance. Looking up with lost blue eyes, he focused his vision on the ramen cook. The man gave him a concerned look and Naruto just gave him a grin with closed eyes, hoping the man wouldn't ask questions. Reaching into his pocket, he paid for the meal and the man nodded and went back to his cooking. As he started to slurp down the remaining contents of his bowl, the shape of a figure sitting next to him caught his eye.

"You just noticed me sitting here, dobe?" Sasuke said, not even bothering to put on a fake smirk. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, least of all Naruto. The Uchiha had slept little since his midnight mission to Naruto's home. Instead of quelling the need to be close to the other ninja, it seemed to intensify.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked in a surprised voice, placing his bowl down with a clunk.

"I can't have lunch?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow. He had been done for quite some time, and hoped that Naruto wouldn't lean over to see a dry bowl with some now crunchy noodles sitting at the bottom. The Uchiha hadn't planned on eating out today, or even having ramen, but his body had gravitated as he walked by that spot earlier. Naruto had arrived shortly after Sasuke had ordered. "We have a mission tomorrow."

"Really?!" Naruto said with a little too much enthusiasm and he stared excitedly at Sasuke. "I can't wait. I'll show you the results of all my training!"

Watching Naruto act like a twelve year old always amused Sasuke. Naruto may have gotten a slightly deeper voice, and grown almost six feet tall, but he still lived with the same energetic spirit. Black eyes moved back down to his bill and he sighed as he pulled out the money from his wallet. "If you went to the office more and stopped relying on everyone else, you would have known about it."

Naruto's face scrunched up in anger for a moment and then he leaned back to look up at the cloudless sky. It was such a nice day; he just didn't feel like fighting with the ninja who was toying with his emotions. Getting up he started to walk off, hands in his pockets. His good mood waned as he got further away from the ramen stand.

'_What is it about that dream? Why Sasuke and not a girl… any girl?!' _Naruto shook his head. "Why don't you get out of my head?!" He yelled at the sky, remembering the line from the supposed dream.

Blue eyes narrowed as he felt Sasuke's chakra blip behind him. _'Why the hell is he following me? Did he just react to what I said?'_ Not wanting to think anymore, Naruto broke out into a run, but couldn't tell if Sasuke followed him or not.--

--"Don't let him drag like that Naruto!" Sakura ordered as she shifted more of Sasuke's weight onto her.

"Stop yelling," Naruto said quietly, grunting as he continued to lift Sasuke and run at the same time. They were close to the gates and there was no sign of any shinobi following.

The mission was a success, but there had only been one casualty. Other teams had made it out much earlier, securing their goals firmly and getting out. Sasuke had discovered a secret meeting on his way out of the village they had been assigned to. The men were dressed in black cloth, but had no markings to identify them. The Uchiha was trying to put together the few sentences he got to hear through a crack in a wall before he ducked to avoid a kunai in his back. Unfortunately he had been too slow and it sank deep into the back of his shoulder.

Naruto had entered the passageway only a few seconds after Sasuke, but was a good distance behind due to the other ninja's speed. The two teammates couldn't dispose of the attacker quietly enough, and the man let out a scream before he was subdued. Footsteps from the hidden room altered Naruto to call Sakura who was waiting at the front end of the passage. Blue eyes noticed the wound on Sasuke's back had a weird sheen and the odor was very strong. Instincts taking over, he grabbed Sasuke around the waste and started to run with the other boy.

After reaching Sakura, Sasuke became too heavy for Naruto to carry alone. It didn't help that Sasuke was the same height as Naruto and he kept inadvertently dragging the boy's feet. They made it out shortly after that, but Sasuke had passed out, adding to the weight. Naruto listened to Sakura's annoying questions once they were close to the village, without any noticeable pursuers. He didn't want to answer and kept silent, growling on occasion.

When some other ninja relieved them of Sasuke's weight, Sakura collapsed from the strain. "That was not supposed to happen," she whined as tears dripped down her face. Her inner voice was screaming in concern and plotting revenge on the people who had hurt Sasuke. The pink haired girl didn't care if she was acting immature. Her Sasuke was hurt and she was completely exhausted.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and then helped her up, letting the girl lean on him. "We need to make our reports now," he said as calmly as he could. His thoughts weren't entirely on the task at hand. This was the second time Sasuke had been severely injured in such a short span of time. The weird smell and look to the wound was also nagging at his exhausted mind.--

--Naruto hated seeing Sasuke like this. It was painful, but he didn't want to leave the other ninja alone. He hadn't been able to see the dark eyed shinobi for two weeks since they had returned to the village. The weather outside, a constant stream of light snowstorms, reflected what he was feeling quite well: confused. The blonde was worried, upset, strangely lonely, and felt he had a message for Sasuke… yet he didn't know what that was.

The young man had woken up and told Tsunade directly about everything he had seen, heard, and done during the mission after a few painful hours within the hospital. It took a lot of research to figure out what chemical was running through his system and what it was doing to his body. Sasuke had been treated but had been sleeping ever since they started working on slowing the poison in his veins. The plant that the poison was made from was thought to be long extinct. It had done something to his chakra system. The full extent of the damage was yet to be determined but it had done something to the flow, probably making it harder to call up and use.

When Naruto heard the medical report from one of the nurses, it was like someone had punched him. He had demanded to see the young man right away, but was restrained and removed from the building. Now he could see Sasuke, but the injured shinobi was still asleep.

"Now that I want to talk, you aren't able to talk to me."--


	7. Step Forward, Step Back

Author's Note: Thanks for the new reviews. Trying to keep them in character is making this story a lot longer than intended. Soon the rating will be going up, if that makes any of you more excited about this story. XP Also, I still can't seem to get the scene breaks to show up, so --blah—will have to denote one, sorry.

**What do I have to do?**

"Now that I want to talk, you aren't able to talk to me." Sighing, Naruto pulled up a chair for the corner of the room to Sasuke's bedside. He rested his elbows on his knees and chin on his hands, thinking about the last few months' events. If life was one big tapestry, some of the key threads had been missing, leaving the scene look awkward and hard to follow.

"I wonder if that kiss you gave me was some sick joke," Naruto mumbled into his hands. "Those looks you've been giving me… your voice…" The blonde cursed quietly before continuing, "It's been driving me insane!" The loudness of his last statement caused a loud stream of whispers to float in through the open door and caused blue eyes to widen. This was definitely a conversation best left in private.

After closing the door, Naruto put the uncomfortable chair back against the wall and decided to sit on the side of the bed. His eyes wandered to Sasuke's sleeping face and the sight caught his breath. It had stopped snowing and the light from the moon streaming in through the window made his injured partner's pale skin look like that of a porcelain doll. As this thought crossed Naruto's mind, he realized visiting hours were probably long over. The nurse had allowed him in when the sun was setting. Now the sky was black, illuminated by stars and a half covered moon.

"I wonder how long I have before they remember and kick me out," Naruto said with a small chuckle and a foxy smile. "Maybe I should finish what I was trying to say." His voice shook as he said these words and scratched the back of his head. This was not easy, especially since he still hadn't sorted out his feelings at all. The few clouds wrapping the lower half of the moon floated away, intensifying the glow on Sasuke's face. Blue highlights appeared in Sasuke's hair, and tanned fingers moved to touch the glowing strands before he was even aware.

"Naruto?" Sasuke had heard everything that the other ninja had said earlier, but was too exhausted from the morning's treatments to respond until now. "How long?" The black haired ninja decided not to outwardly react as Naruto's fingers remained in his hair for a few more moments.

Naruto's fingers were removed quickly when he realized what the digits were doing. "You're not dying or anything," the blonde said in annoyance.

"How long was I out, dobe?" Sasuke forced his usual strength into his voice as he sat up.

"Oh. Two weeks."

The injured young man cursed and clenched his fist as his eyes closed. "I was careless."

Naruto jumped a little at the admission. "The guy only stabbed you. Did I bang your head into a wall on the way out?" It was a week attempt to lighten the mood.

"Maybe," the other breathed out and moved his eyes to focus on the sky blue of Naruto's. "So talk."

"Excuse me?" A blonde eyebrow arched at the order.

"Finish what you were going to say, dobe. I need my rest. Sasuke waved his hand in a mock-dismissal gesture.

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with this abuse," Naruto said half in jest as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away in an angry pose for a moment.

"You won't have to anymore." Sasuke's voice had cracked on the first word, but the rest were said flatly.

"What are you-"

"I heard. I'm useless."

Naruto noticed Sasuke's fist clench a second time and felt a stab of guilt in his gut. "If I had gotten to you faster…"

"Shut up. Get out." The Uchiha knew his moment of curiosity in the mission had potentially ruined the rest of his life. He also realized his time with the bight eyed boy would be cut in half, if the other would visit at all. '_I don't give him much of a reason._'

Naruto jumped up from the bed to lean over Sasuke, placing his hands on either side of the other ninja's body. Intense blue stared into almost passive black. "Stop. Feeling. Sorry. For. Yourself," the blonde forced out through clenched teeth. "People are working day and night to cure you and fix the damage."

"And if they can't-" Warm lips cut off his point as Naruto kissed him. Sasuke's body was forced back onto the bed and he moved a slim hand to cup the back of Naruto's head. At first it was sloppy and intense, but then they found each other's rhythm. The black haired ninja almost let out a whine when they parted.

Naruto's brain had set off an alarm that had broken the kiss. He moved off the bed quickly. "Don't you know that people care and would miss you?! And people call me stupid, jeez!" The yelling had alerted the nurses and Naruto was quickly removed from the room, leaving Sasuke hopeful and confused.


End file.
